A weekly journal on architecture, anthropology and radiant based heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The role of indoor environmental ergonomics, industrial design, HVAC as a health care issue and other human factors in the design of indoor spaces.

November 28, 2013

Background: Indoor air pollutants (IAPs) cause multiple health impacts. Prioritizing mitigation options that differentially impact individual pollutants and comparing IAPs to other environmental health hazards requires a common metric of harm. Objectives: The objective was to demonstrate a methodology to quantify and compare health impacts from IAPs. The methodology is needed to assess population health impacts of large-scale initiatives – including energy efficiency upgrades and ventilation standards – that affect indoor air quality (IAQ). Methods: Available disease incidence and disease impact models for specific pollutant-disease combinations were synthesized with data on measured concentrations to estimate the chronic heath impact, in Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), due to inhalation of a subset of IAPs in U.S. residences. Model results were compared to independent estimates of DALYs lost due to disease. Results: PM2.5, acrolein, and formaldehyde accounted for the vast majority of DALY losses caused by IAPs considered in this analysis, with impacts on par or greater than estimates for secondhand tobacco smoke and radon. Confidence intervals of DALYs lost derived from epidemiology-based response functions are tighter than those derived from toxicology-based, inter-species extrapolations. Statistics on disease incidence in the US indicate that the upper-bound confidence interval for aggregate IAP harm is implausibly high. Conclusions: The demonstrated approach may be used to assess regional and national initiatives that impact IAQ at the population level. Cumulative health impacts from inhalation in U.S. residences of the IAPs assessed in this study are estimated at 400—1100 DALYs annually per 100,000 people.

November 06, 2013

The first-ever textbook of children's environmental health. Comprehensively assembled and edited by two pediatricians
who are widely recognized leaders and pioneers in the field of children's
environmental health.

An ideal course textbook or collateral reading in schools of
public health and in universities that offer majors in public health or
environmental science. Suitable for public health practitioners, pediatricians and
pediatric trainees; family physicians; environmental scientists; nurses and
nursing students; students in schools of public health; college undergraduates
majoring in public health, environmental health or environmental science;
health and environmental policy makers in governments and NGOs.

Over the past four decades, the prevalence of autism,
asthma, ADHD, obesity, diabetes, and birth defects have grown substantially
among children around the world. Not coincidentally, more than 80,000 new
chemicals have been developed and released into the global environment during
this same period. Today the World Health Organization attributes 36% of all
childhood deaths to environmental causes.

Children's environmental health is a new and expanding
discipline that studies the profound impact of chemical and environmental
hazards on child health. Amid mounting evidence that children are exquisitely
sensitive to their environment-and that exposure during their developmental
"windows of susceptibility" can trigger cellular changes that lead to
disease and disability in infancy, childhood, and across the life span-there is
a compelling need for continued scientific study of the relationship between
children's health and environment.

The Textbook of Children's Environmental Health codifies the
knowledge base and offers an authoritative and comprehensive guide to this
important new field. Edited by two internationally recognized pioneers in the
area, this volume presents up-to-date information on the chemical, biological,
physical, and societal hazards that confront children in today's world:
pesticides, indoor and outdoor air pollution, lead, arsenic, phthalates,
bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, ionizing radiation, electromagnetic
fields, and the built environment. It presents carefully documented data on
rising rates of disease in children, offers a critical summary of new research
linking pediatric disease with environmental exposures, and explores the
cellular, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms underlying diseases of
environmental origin.

With this volume's emphasis upon integrating theory and
practice, readers will find practical approaches to channeling scientific
findings into evidence-based strategies for preventing and identifying the
environmental hazards that cause disease in children. It is a landmark work
that will serve as the field's benchmark for years to come.

Readership: Practitioners and researchers in pediatrics,
public health, nursing, life and environmental sciences, toxicology,
obstetrics, developmental psychology, and health economics.

July 10, 2013

As the heat wave continues, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has released a new Guide to provide greater understanding and improved prediction of overheating in commercial buildings. ‘TM52: The limits of thermal comfort: avoiding overheating in European buildings' will be published today on the online Knowledge Portal and will be soon followed by ‘TM49: Probabilistic design summer years for London'.

Both guides offer information to help avoid uncomfortable conditions for occupants. These support the existing publication ‘KS16: How to manage overheating in buildings' which gives guidance for building managers and owners about the causes of overheating and how to mitigate it. CIBSE also provides guidance for building managers and occupants in the form of top tips on how to manage overheating, available to download from the CIBSE website.

Fergus Nicol, lead author of the Guide TM52 commented: "Overheating has become a major problem in building design. The rising cost of energy combined with global climate change has reduced the options available for building comfortable, low-energy buildings. Research has been directed towards methods for increasing indoor winter temperatures but this can lead to lightweight, highly insulated buildings that respond poorly in the summer. To assess this further, CIBSE responded by forming the Overheating Task Force."

The CIBSE Overheating Task Force explored what is needed from building designers, service systems, ventilation and facilities management in order to maintain comfortable living and working conditions, especially in the summer months. Occupant comfort is particularly important as it directly impacts productivity and health which in turn affects employers. Only recently it was quoted that Mark Zuckerburg, founder, Facebook, keeps his offices at 15°C as it is believed to increase productivity. CIBSE's recommended temperature is 20°C.

CIBSE President George Adams also emphasised the importance of designing buildings fit for a changing climate due to global warming in his inauguration speech entitled ‘Whole Life Thinking'. The subject was also discussed further at the CIBSE Natural Ventilation Group event, Passive Building Technology in Practice, 21st June at UCL.

June 07, 2013

We are proud to introduce the Comfable, a new kind of smart suggestion technology application. Comfable is ideal for everybody who wants to know real time personalized “Feels Like” temperature for planning what to wear and where and when to go. It has six plugins (Wear, Where, When, Sun, Energy and Plant) to answer your common daily questions.

RBc: I really like what these Prof's are doing...it succinctly
points out that there are many parameters to thermal comfort beyond the HVAC industries
fixation on using air temperature as a sole proxy to what people feel.

June 02, 2013

It was serendipitous that my keynote at the Pathways 2 Sustainability
Conference was in the Telus Spark Science Center. The HVAC system was designed
by the Calgary office of Dialog who have described the IEQ systems as;

“Along with lots of natural Calgary light and smart water
use, the building design brings fresh air to every room. Rather than a typical,
forced-air ventilation and cooling system, the building incorporates
displacement ventilation and radiant panels to distribute fresh air and highly
effective heating and cooling for visitor comfort. The atrium and extensive
lobby areas are heated and cooled with a radiant chilled/heated slab system for
a non-intrusive but highly effective conditioning system. Underseat
displacement ventilation is provided in the 250-person IMAX theatre for optimum
thermal comfort and ventilation effectiveness.”

Interestingly, the HVAC zone for the exhibit hall (converted
into the P2S2013 conference space) was tested beyond its functional capacity as over
250 delegates filled a space likely designed for less. (hopefully someone from
Dialog will show up and correct my assumption). Despite the load, the thermal comfort was well beyond
most conference halls that I have visited (and there have been hundreds). The
air quality not so much. As the occupant load increased it was necessary to
open the adjoining doors connecting a large open hallway to the conference room
and that one simple solution seemed to do the trick for most of the attendees.

The point being - despite a heavy occupant load during three days
of rain the radiant cooling panels never once condensed as the air system was
capable of maintaining a lean air mixture.

I really like how the Architectural/Interior Designers and
Mechanical Engineers incorporated the ventilation columns into the space – very
nice.

Brad Struble Telus Spark representative and director of
design gave us the tour and did a great job explaining the project as well as
helping adapt the space to the conference and for the adaptive measures to help
maintain the indoor environmental quality.

You can learn more about the project including the radiant
based HVAC system from this video (can view in Google Chrome).

April 30, 2013

Excerpt: “This is the third booklet in our PLEA Notes
series. Each of these Notes is intended to deal with one particular and narrow
aspect of design, of a technical /scientific nature. These Notes serve a dual
purpose: to be a learning tool, introducing the subject and discussing it in mainly
qualitative terms, but also to be a design tool, to provide quantitative data
and methods for the consideration of the particular subject matter in design.
An implicit aim is also to create an authoritative reference work, which would provide
a concise but comprehensive summary of the state of the art of the subject.

In this Note 3 the undergraduate student will find part 1,
then sections 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 of part 2 as well as part 3 of particular
interest. The practising designer (using the above sections as introduction)
will - we hope - find part 4 most useful. The research student, or anyone
interested in the whys and wherefores will find part 2 as a unique reference
source.

References for the comfort index data sheets are given in
footnote form, similarly in places where they refer to that page only. General
references are listed in alphabetical order on pages 62 – 63.

We hope that this Note will contribute in some small way to
the creation of better buildings, healthier indoor environments and energy
conservation, thus serve the broad aims of PLEA and a sustainable future.”

April 18, 2013

Excerpt: “Europeans spend most of their time in indoor
environments and poor indoor air quality is responsible for 2 million
disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost in European Union (EU) every
year.

The European Year of Air 2013 and the expected revision of the
ambient air legislation mark an appropriate moment to stress the importance of
indoor air quality (IAQ) and place it in the heart of the energy efficiency
strategy. The HealthVent project on the Health-Based Ventilation
Guidelines for Europe was launched in 2010 under the Programme of Community
Action in the Field of Health 2008-2013 with the objective of developing
guidelines for health-based ventilation for non-industrial buildings in Europe
taking into consideration energy efficiency requirements. To present project
results, an event was organised at the European Parliament in Brussels on
February 20th, 2013. The event was hosted by Mrs Catherine Stihler, Member of
the European Parliament (MEP), and was coordinated by EFA’s EU Policy Officer,
Ms Roberta Savli, a partner in HealthVent project along with active
contributions from the other members of the HealthVent consortium.”

Source:HealthVent and IAQ under the Second Programme of Community Action
in the Field of Health, HealthVent,

April 06, 2013

The authors review what we know and don’t know about how
thermal comfort and indoor air quality affect performance. The article is
written in the form of answers to 40 frequently asked questions. The authors,
also widely respected, offer opinions based on what the research shows.

Excerpt: “As experienced researchers in the effects of
thermal comfort and indoor air quality on performance, we are often asked to
give our best estimate of how, and to what extent, performance is affected by different
aspects of indoor climate. This article provides a brief summary of our
personal opinions, in the form of answers to 40 frequently asked questions. Our
answers are based on the results of behavioral experiments conducted to date.
We offer no opinions on long-term health effects of indoor environmental
quality. We provide some references to relevant sources, but there is not
enough space for all such references. We list some questions we cannot answer
as topics for future research in this area.”

December 18, 2012

18 Dec, 2012 10:37 CET Indoor environments that are too hot, too cold or draughty
create discomfort and lower human productivity. MSc (Tech) Riikka Holopainen
from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has written a doctoral thesis on
a new method for estimating the actual level of human thermal comfort in
low-energy buildings. The method is also the first of its kind to be integrated
with a building simulation tool. Factoring in the different ways in which
buildings are used and the different kinds of people using them at the design
stage can help to improve energy efficiency and human comfort.

The Human Thermal Model (HTM) is a new technique developed
by Senior Scientist Riikka Holopainen from VTT in her doctoral thesis, which
can be used to design and create optimal indoor environments for low-energy
buildings. One of the novelties of the method is the fact that it allows
scientists to measure how different solutions are likely to affect human
thermal comfort and the energy efficiency of buildings at the design stage.

The model is based on the physiological thermal control
system of the human body, and it can be used to calculate the actual level of
human thermal comfort in both steady-state and transient thermal environments.
The thesis introduces the first ever mathematical application that integrates a
building simulation tool with human thermal sensation. The model also produces
information about previously complex comparisons, such as the effects of
different structural solutions and HVAC systems on human thermal sensation.

Earlier models for measuring the comfort of indoor
environments have not taken account of the human body’s own thermal control
system. These methods are also insufficient for designing passive and
zero-energy buildings. Models based on laboratory measurements, for example,
overestimate the heat perceived by humans in warm conditions and underestimate
it in cool conditions. They also factor in clothing as a hermetically sealed
unit similar to a diving suit.

Both internal and external factors affect human thermal
sensation. Internal factors include personal characteristics, anatomy, activity
level, whether work is physical, and clothing. External factors include room
temperature, which covers air and surface temperature, as well as air velocity
and relative humidity. Holopainen has demonstrated that the most important
factors contributing to thermal sensation and comfort are air and surface
temperature, activity level and clothing.

Ensuring building
optimisation and human comfort at the design stage

Indoor environments that are too hot, too cold or draughty
create discomfort and lower human productivity. Bed-bound patients in
hospitals, for example, spend a great deal of time lying still and therefore
need a sufficiently warm indoor environment and bedclothes. Checkout operators
in shops, on the other hand, may have to sit in heat in summer and in cold and
draughts in winter. Factoring in the different ways in which buildings are used
and the different kinds of people using them at the design stage can help to
optimise indoor environments and improve human comfort. Employees can also be
given clothing advice.

The Human Thermal Model is suitable for both new builds and
renovations. Engineering firms and the construction industry can now develop
their products to better meet the needs of different buildings and users.

In the future, the HTM and building automation systems will
work together to automatically regulate ventilation, heating and cooling
according to actual needs, incorporating human thermal comfort as an integral
aspect of workplace productivity enhancement.

November 07, 2012

As our long time readers know, we feel strongly that HVAC trade
schools along with architectural and engineering programs should teach the
basics in human anatomy and physiology; for those parts related to the indoor
environment.

It just makes so much sense that those in industry responsible for indoor spaces should be able to explain how the indoor climate affects the
body or how the body responds to the indoor climate.

Doesn't it make sense to you as well?

How long would it take to explain the fundamentals?

Two hours.

We know you don't have two hours to spare online so we’ve uploaded a sample on thermal comfort that we teach in our integrated
design program at the following link:

Excerpt from one conference report: “Occupants were generally
satisfied with their new houses, but were most dissatisfied with the thermal
conditions. A majority (68%) specified that they experienced too warm during
summer. This was the most prevalent complaint, and in agreement with physical
measurements. During winter the occupants were also most dissatisfied with
thermal conditions as 27% of respondents experienced too cold, and 25% found
that the temperature varied too much. Additionally, there were a series of
problems with the technical installations and their use was difficult. The
energy use was higher than expected.”

If you haven’t had a chance to read the study, it concluded with a series of recommendations to increase occupant satisfaction in low energy houses:

• Avoid uncomfortably high temperatures during summer with external solar shading, consider the size of the windows facing towards the sun and make effective use of natural ventilation possible.

• Develop more robust and easy-to use technical installations enabling occupants to control the indoor climate and energy consumption as intended in their new relatively technically advanced house, e.g. by a single user-friendly user interface that can communicate with all relevant technical installations.

May 21, 2012

As readers of this Journal know, I read a lot of paper’s and by far the best ones are though such outlets as the University of CaliforniaeScholarship which, “provides a suite of open access, scholarly publishing services and research tools” to readers like me.

Below is the abstract from the paper - there is nothing more to be said other than read the paper – you’ll be much more wiser for it.

The main objective of the Ph.D. study was to examine occupants’ perception of comfort in nonindustrial buildings (homes and offices), in particular how building occupants understand comfort and which parameters, not necessarily related to indoor environments, influence the perception of comfort.

To meet the objective, the following actions were taken: (1) a literature survey exploring which indoor environmental parameters (thermal, acoustic, visual environment and air quality)predominantly determine overall comfort and whether other factors unrelated to the indoor environment influence the perception of comfort; the literature survey summarized 42 peer reviewed and conference articles and 1 book covering the period from 1970 to 2009;(2) preparation, distribution and analysis of a questionnaire survey sent to 2499 addresses representing the most common types of residential buildings in Denmark and filled out by 645persons (response rate of 26%); and (3) analysis of the post-occupancy satisfaction survey conducted by the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) at the University of California Berkeley in 351 mainly U.S. office buildings and filled out by 52,980 building occupants.

___

Final comment: Kudo’s to CBE and DTU for making this and other papers available on an open access basis – wish more academic institutes would follow your path.

May 16, 2012

Excerpt: From the study of the radiant panel system according to Khartoum climatic conditions, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• The present investigation indicated that the radiant cooling system improves the human comfort (100% fresh air is used).

• The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the ceiling radiant cooling panel system creates uniform temperature distribution inside the conditioned space. Moreover, the predicted inside walls surface temperatures and temperatures of perpendicular walls of inside air are shown to be in reasonable agreement with those measured as indicated in the experimental results.

• The current study showed that the ceiling radiant cooling panel system improves indoor air quality (low noise and minimum supply air are used when compared with conventional cooling system)

• Electrical services reduction for the mechanical equipment can be achieved due to smaller chiller, fans and pumps.

Citation: Mohamed, E.T., Abdalla, K.N., Effect of a Radiant Panel Cooling System on Indoor Air Quality of a Conditioned Space, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference Enhanced Building Operations, Kuwait, October, 2010

How to establish low energy allowances for delivering thermal comfort and indoor air quality in modern buildings

Description:

This three day hybrid course explores the design principles in energy and exergy efficient indoor environmental quality focusing on integrating architectural, interior design and radiant based HVAC system solutions. The core content based on theory and practical applications will revolve around the health, building and HVAC sciences including a study in thermal comfort and indoor air quality, cold climate enclosures, heat transfer, hydronic cooling and heating systems including a detailed study in fluid fundamentals and the hydraulics of hydronics, control valves and balancing, heat terminal units including fan coils, radiant cooling and heating and dedicated outdoor air systems.

Audience:

This course is for today’s working design practitioner who may be a recent graduate from an architectural, mechanical engineering or interior design program and those from the distribution and contracting professions who already hold design certifications from various institutes and associations.

Experienced professionals who may want to expand their knowledge base on IEQ, controls, radiant heating & cooling, fluid hydraulics and snow melting will also benefit from the program.

November 08, 2011

Those who still stand firm in the belief that the V in HVAC is exclusively about delivering indoor air quality might want to read this clause:

"A-6.2.1.7.(2) Outdoor Design Conditions. In the past, the practice of ventilating buildings with outdoor air assumed that the outdoor air was of better quality than the indoor air. It has become evident that the outdoor air in some areas of Canada may not be of an acceptable quality for ventilating buildings unless certain particles and gases are first removed or reduced. A recent estimate suggests that 30% of Canadians are exposed to contaminated outdoor air via buildings’ ventilation systems, which may lead to health problems such as cardiovascular and cerebral vascular diseases, respiratory irritation and illnesses, asthma, allergies, cancer, mucus membrane disorders and possibly death."

As we have stated before, the general populations misunderstanding of HVAC is that H is exclusively heating comfort, V is indoor air quality and AC is comfort cooling. This misunderstanding also extends regrettably to a large segment of the construction industry.

Ventilation (V) in and by itself does not guarantee air quality as its function is to exhaust indoor air and replace it with outdoor air. One would think that a higher ventilation rate would be better than a lower ventilation rate but if the outdoor air is contaminated with ozone or has a high humidity, bringing more air in from outside actually makes the inside worse.

Air Conditioning (AC) or conditioning the air allows the designer to treat the air through dilution, filtration, deodorization, temperature regulation, dehumidification, humidification, and air velocity control ergo it is not just cooling for thermal comfort.

Thus, the H in HVAC is not exclusively heating comfort, the V is not exclusively air quality and the AC is not exclusively cooling comfort.

If I had it my way we would change the HVAC to HVCA thus we would have a much better descriptor with Heating, Ventilation and Conditioning of Air.

November 03, 2011

excerpt: “Three methods were used to evoke a sensation of warmth at the threshold level: (1) by increasing the intensity of the radiant heat falling on the skin over that from the solid surroundings of the cubicle by an amount which was just sufficient to evoke a sensation of warmth, and obtaining values of such threshold intensities for various areas of skin; (2) by exposing the skin to a stream of air moving at one of several velocities and determining the increase in air temperature above that in the cubicle required to evoke a sensation of warmth; and (3) by increasing the intensity of the radiation falling on the skin, and simultaneously exposing the skin to a stream of moving air.”

RBc: I love these old studies because much of what we know today in the world of architecture which relates to occupant comfort, comes from this type of research work. A few statements that are of interest from this paper include:

"On the whole, a change of 1 C. in air temperature is equivalent to 1.40 C. change in mean radiant temperature in its effect upon thermal sensations."

"Bedford & Warner (1939) found that changes in both the average value and the variability of the air speed and in the temperature had a marked effect upon impressions of freshness."

Our Purpose

Established in 2004, The Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality (JIEQ) in conjunction with Healthy Heating serves as a technical interpreter and consolidator of academic research demonstrating the building and health sciences are inclusive elements. It provides professional development programs based on its analysis to application professionals such as architects, engineers, interior designers and related technicians.

Subscribe to the JIEQ

Visit www.healthyheating.com

Friends of Industry

Quotes

“The quality of housing conditions plays a decisive role in the health status of the residents, because many health problems are either directly or indirectly related to the building itself, the construction materials that were used, and the equipment or the size or structure of the individual dwellings.”
The World Health Organization

"Indoor environmental quality is in part a result of materials and methods of construction which has an influence on occupant health. For this reason, policies around health and construction cannot be treated separately and must be linked together." Source: Bean, R., IAQ Webinar Presentation, 2009

The HVAC system consumes 50-60% of the building energy cost and generates 80-85% of tenant complaints.
Source: U.S. General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service, Office of the Chief Architect

Good Design

“Industrial designers determine the form and interaction qualities of manufactured products...They study people at work, at home and in motion to create satisfying experiences with products from the kitchen and the office to the hospital and the warehouse…” Excerpt from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

In our opinion, industrial design has been overlooked by the HVAC industry – illustrated by consumers facing difficulties selling homes with HVAC systems which have “beast in the boiler room.”

Be reminded by S. Claire Conroy from Residential Architecture, "It's time architects of every discipline understand residential architecture for what it really is: everyone's most intimate connection with architecture. It's not simply a “test bed”—it's a vessel for our lives on their most personal level. That makes the stakes very high indeed. No one is more discriminating and demanding than a residential client.”

"A lot of it has to do with how we are responding at a physiological level to what we see as we walk in through the door." Sarah Susanka, Architect

“Industrial designers determine the form and interaction qualities of manufactured products...They study people at work, at home and in motion to create satisfying experiences with products from the kitchen and the office to the hospital and the warehouse…” Excerpt from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

"In any industry, one of the most important and difficult tasks is to explain a nuanced process to someone unfamiliar with the field. At its grass roots, design is a process like many others; it has theories, strategies and examples that can be explained on a general level. It’s not a matter of what type of information is given, but rather how it is presented and to what type of audience."
Speaking Design to Non-Designers, IDSA